Shaving implement



Apr-i130, 1940. I J. MUROS 2,198,832

SHAVING IMPLEMENT Filed Nov. 10, 1937 "nnnnmn" INVENTOR Patented Apr.30, 1940 UNITED "STATES SHAVING IMPLEMENT Joseph Muros, Cambridge,Mass},

assignor to Gillette Safety Razor Company, Boston, Mass,

a. corporation of Delaware Application November 10,1937, Serial No.173,883 2 Claims. (CI. 30-43) This invention relates to dry shavingimplements of the type employing co-operating shearing members andconsists in an implement having combined guard and shearing teeth ofnovel shape whereby shaving efliciency is improved and the implementmade more comfortable upon the face of the user. I

Most implements of the type under discussion include guard members orouter shear members which are equipped with transverse hair passagesthrough which the hairs must pass in reaching the shaving zone as theimplement is moved over the face. Heretofore these hair passages havebeen long as compared to the distance between adjacent hairs so thateach passage may contain as many as five or six hairs which have notactually reached the shaving zone but which have been more or lessforcibly brought into alignment in the passage. If the hairs grew inregular transverse rows they might pass through the hair passageswithout deflection or appreciable friction but this is not the practicalcondition encountered. Investigation indicates that the hairs growwithout any definite arrangement and with an average spacing of .039".Few if any of these hairs can pass directly and without change in theirnatural position through the elongated hair passages of guardsheretofore used. On the contrary, they are deflected by being bent intoline with the passages or by the temporary displacement of the skin sothat the movement of the implement across the face feels more or lessharsh and-uncomfortable. Moreover, the close shaving efficiency of theimplement is impaired if w the hairs reach the shaving zone in abent-over condition since under these circumstances only the top sectionofthe hair is sheared instead of its entire length from the skinsurface. The difficulties above discussed are obviated in accordancewith the present invention which contemplates a dry shaving implementhaving hair passages of an effective length less than the normal spacingof two hairs on the face of the user. Under such conditions; the hairpassages will each normally contain a single hair with the result thatfriction and pulling are correspondingly reduced. In a preferredembodiment of my invention the shaving implement may have hair passagesapproximately .032" in length,

the passages preferably being flared at both ends to improve the pick-upof hairs and having this a major dimension which, as already noted, isap preciably less than the average distance between two hairs on theface of the user.

My invention is herein shown as embodied in an implement havingstationary shearing teeth which overhang a shearing face disposed atright angles thereto and in this design the length of the hair passagescorresponds to the length of the shearing edges of the teeth. Forexample, 5 the teeth may haveoverhanging shearing edges of .032" andterminate in a side or wall sur- .face curved divergently from theadjacent tooth.

Also, the inner or overhanging ends of the teeth may be divergentlycurved to gather in hairs as 1. the implement is moved in an approachingdirection in respect to that side.

These and other features of the invention will be best understood andappreciated from the following description of a preferred embodiment 15thereof, selected for purposes of. illustration and shown in theaccompanying drawing, in which:

Fig. 1 is a fragmentary view of the implement as seen from the end on anenlarged scale;

Fig. 2 is a correspondingview in front elevation;

Fig. 3 is a view in cross-section on a still larger scale;

Fig. 4 is a fragmentary end view of one of the guard or outer shearmembers;

Fig. 5 is a corresponding fragmentary view in front elevation; and

Fig. 6 is a cross-sectional view corresponding to Fig. 2.

The implement comprises a casing ID of Bakelite or other plasticcomposition moulded to form a hollow handle and also a housing for theoperating motor of the implement. In its upper end it contains a socketfor the metallic head of the implement and this is held in place by w aclamping screw H. The head comprises a pair of outer stationary shearmembers I2 and it held together in assembled relation by spacer blocksand transverse bolts. Each of the side members l2 and I 3 has an innervertical wall 0 and an inwardly overhanging flange which is transverselyslotted to form a series of stationary shearing teeth I5. The outerwalls of the stationary shear members l2 and I3 converge in oppositelyinclined faces and the slots l4 extend at an outward and downwardinclination through these faces. The slots are also flared outwardlyfrom substantially the plane of the inner shear faces of the members l2and I3. The inner ends of the slots are also flared as best shown inFig. 4,

with the result that the parallel wall hair passage is reduced in lengthto substantially .032". Each passage extends inwardly and its wallsoverhang the inner vertical wall of the members I! and I3. The outwardflare of the passages beu of this inner vertical wall of gins at pointslying substantially in the plane the member I! or l3.

The reciprocatory cutter member comprises an elongated bar I! having atboth longitudinal edges upstanding ribs shaped to flt into the rightangles between the vertical shearing walls and the under side of thehorizontal shearing teeth l5 of the outer members.

the cutter are slotted to form shearing teeth l8 which co-operate bothwith the shearing edges ter are somewhat formed by thepassages ll in theverticalshearing walls and also with the horizontal shearing edges inthe overhanging surface of the teeth IS. The shearing teeth I! of thereciprocatory cutshorter than the overhanging teeth [5, as best shown inFig. 3 and are thus completely guarded at their free ends from contactwith the face of the user. The cutter I1 is reciprocated longitudinallyby a lever I9 at high one hair at a time, one being shown in Fig. 3 asapproaching the shearing zone and the next nearest hair being shown asstill outside the entrance of the hair passage into 'which it will bepresently moved.

On account ,0! the outward flare oi the pas- The upstanding ribs 0!.

sages l4 the hair does not enter the parallel wall portion of thepassage until'it reaches the plane of the inner wall of the members I!or II. In other words the hair is confined in the passage only where itextends between the overhanging portions of the teeth Ii. The hair maybe sheared as it crosses the normal plane of contact between the outershear member and the cutter II or it may be sheared beneath the teethII, depending on the position of the implement on the face and theopening of the shearing teeth. In any case the short length of thepassage reduces it it does not eliminate frictional drag of the hair andsubstantial deflection so. that the action of the implement is smoothand comfortable and its shearing close and eflicient.

Having thus disclosed my invention, 1 claim as new and desire to secureby Letters Patent:

1. A dry shaving implement having an outer shear member presenting aseries of overhanging shear teeth in its upper edge having paralleledges less than the average spacing between hairs in length, yiz. .039",and an inner shear member having teeth of less length.

2. A dry shaving implement having inner vertical walls and overhanginghorizontal flanges both slotted to present shearing edges, and areciprocatory cutter cooperating with both of said shearing edges, theslotsflaring outwardly from points substantially in the planes of saidinner vertical walls and having parallel walls only within theoverhanging flanges and not longer than the average spacing betweenhairs, viz. .039". i

f JOSEPH MUROS.

